A Dig Through Doc Ball’s Surf Photo Archive – Take a glimpse into early California surf culture dating back to the 1930s

Mobile. Swellwatch. “They were poor but they were also rich because they were surfers,” John Grannis says as he flips through the archive of John “Doc” Ball’s photos of the Los Angeles’ South Bay’s early surf scene.

Containing photos of both surfing and surf culture dating back to the 30s, Ball’s archive was left to legendary surf photographer LeRoy Grannis, who happens to be the focus of many of Ball’s photos and the father of John, the narrator of the video above.